Feature
Chat to edit a video: type what to change and get a new version
You can edit a video by chatting: you type what you want changed, and the editor makes a new version. Here is how it works when an AI makes the whole first edit before you type anything.
In short
- Chat editing lets you type a change in plain words, such as "Cut the first sentence", and get a new version.
- In Cutroom's Magic Editor, Jacob makes the whole first edit before you type, so the chat is for changes and questions.
- A message that changes the video costs 40 credits; a question that changes nothing is free, up to 20 a day.
- Every change makes a new version of the video, and going back to an earlier version costs nothing.
- The chat can't move a sentence or make new speech, and the only export is a vertical 1080 by 1920 MP4.
Can you edit a video by chatting with an AI?
Yes. Several editors now take changes in a chat: you type what you want, and the AI changes the video. They differ in what happens before you type.
- In a chat editor such as Kapwing's Kai or Tella Agent, the chat sits next to a timeline you can still edit by hand.
- In Cutroom's Magic Editor, Jacob makes the whole first edit from one press of "Make my video", before you type a word.
- After that, each message is one change, and each change makes a new version you can go back from.
A serum demo from a skincare shop, before and after
Each message made one new version and cost 40 credits.
Drawing of an example clip, not a customer video
Before · the clip as filmed
A 60-second phone video of a small skincare shop owner showing a new serum
“Hi, um, I wasn't sure I'd film this today. This serum is new in our shop, so, like, and here's how to use it. You put two drops on clean skin ... (pause) and press it in before bed.”
struck through = what Jacob cuts
After · Jacob's first edit, Skit style
“I wasn't sure I'd film this today. This serum is new in our shop, and here's how to use it. You put two drops on clean skin and press it in before bed.”
- On “serum”: your product photo serum.jpg in a card over your face
- On “drops”: your second photo, drops.jpg, swaps into the card
- On “bed”: the ending, with your call to action on a phone
- Under the whole video: upbeat music and sound effects under your voice
window: serum.jpg
Then you ask Jacob
- “Cut the first sentence”v2the video now opens on "This serum is new in our shop"
- “Put a flash right before the ending”v3a white flash just before the ending
- “Make the key words stand out more”v4the key words, such as serum and drops, stand out in your accent colour
Messages that work, and what each one changes
These messages come from the list of ideas inside Cutroom's chat, so each one is something Jacob really does. One clear change per message works best.
What you type, what changes, what it costs
A message that only asks a question changes nothing until you pick one of Jacob's ideas.
| What you type | What changes | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Cut the first sentence | The video starts on your second sentence | 40 credits |
| Make this about 10 seconds shorter | Ums, repeats and weaker lines go; the opening and ending stay | 40 credits |
| Keep my pauses, it feels too rushed | Your natural pauses stay in | 40 credits, or free in the settings |
| Can you find 3 b-roll clips that fit what I'm saying? | Three clips from your library or stock, on the words they fit | 40 credits |
| Turn the music down a bit | Quieter music under your voice | 40 credits |
| Make the colours warmer | Warmer colours over the whole video | 40 credits |
| Change the call to action to Try it free | New text in the call to action at the end | 40 credits |
| What would make this video better? | Nothing changes yet. Jacob answers with ideas, and you tap one to apply it. | Free |
| Go back one version | The version before comes back | Free |
What you type: Cut the first sentence
- What changes
- The video starts on your second sentence
- Cost
- 40 credits
What you type: Make this about 10 seconds shorter
- What changes
- Ums, repeats and weaker lines go; the opening and ending stay
- Cost
- 40 credits
What you type: Keep my pauses, it feels too rushed
- What changes
- Your natural pauses stay in
- Cost
- 40 credits, or free in the settings
What you type: Can you find 3 b-roll clips that fit what I'm saying?
- What changes
- Three clips from your library or stock, on the words they fit
- Cost
- 40 credits
What you type: Turn the music down a bit
- What changes
- Quieter music under your voice
- Cost
- 40 credits
What you type: Make the colours warmer
- What changes
- Warmer colours over the whole video
- Cost
- 40 credits
What you type: Change the call to action to Try it free
- What changes
- New text in the call to action at the end
- Cost
- 40 credits
What you type: What would make this video better?
- What changes
- Nothing changes yet. Jacob answers with ideas, and you tap one to apply it.
- Cost
- Free
What you type: Go back one version
- What changes
- The version before comes back
- Cost
- Free
How Cutroom's Magic Editor edits a video like this
Jacob is the AI editor inside Cutroom's Magic Editor: it edits your video for you, then changes it when you ask in a chat.
The 4 styles, as example edits
Steps
Three steps, four angles
Skit
Hook, hard stop, demo card
Verdict
The tester's verdict
Poster
Typography does the talking
Hover or tap an example to play it, without sound. These are example edits of each style; the presenters in them are generated with AI.
- Your take: one video of you talking, up to 3 minutes
- Your style: one of 4: Steps, Skit, Verdict or Poster
- Your files: screenshots, a screen recording or a logo, if you have them
- Your goal: what the video is for, in a few words, if you like
- Jacob makes it: normally 10 to 15 minutes, and you get an email
- Your edit: ask Jacob for changes in a chat, then export
Then you ask Jacob, for example
- “Make this about 10 seconds shorter”
- “Put a clip on the strongest sentence”
- “Change the music to something calmer”
Each change is a new version, and going back is free. First cut 250 credits, each change 40, questions free, export 30 credits per started minute.
What a chat message costs
You only pay when a message changes the video. The Send button shows whether your message is a change or a free question before you send it.
- A message that changes the video costs 40 credits. If Jacob ends up changing nothing, you get the credits back.
- A question, such as "What does a change cost?", is free, up to 20 a day.
- Your edit comes with a transcript of everything you said. Tapping a word in it to cut it or bring it back is free, and so are the accent colour, music, text and pace settings, and undo.
- Switching to another style costs 120 credits and builds the edit again in that style; your current version stays.
- While Jacob works on a change, the editing screen is locked until it's done. You can stop it, and you get your credits back if you do.
Chat editors compared: where the chat sits
In most chat editors, the chat sits beside a timeline you can still drive. Cutroom's difference is the order: Jacob makes the whole first edit before you type.
Where the chat sits in each editor
As each vendor describes it on its own pages.
| Tool | Where the chat sits | What happens before you type |
|---|---|---|
| Kapwing Kai | A sidebar in the Kapwing editor, or a standalone chat | You upload your footage |
| Descript Underlord | Inside Descript's desktop editor | You bring in your footage or script |
| Tella Agent | The editor's right sidebar | You record your screen and camera in Tella |
| Captions | The Captions app or web editor | You add footage and can start from an AI Edit style |
| ChatCut | A full editor, or a plugin in ChatGPT or Claude Code | You upload your footage |
| OpusClip AI Producer | Inside Claude or ChatGPT | You add your clip and, if you like, a reference video |
| Cutroom Magic Editor | Beside the finished video, with no timeline | Jacob has already made the whole first edit |
Tool: Kapwing Kai
- Where the chat sits
- A sidebar in the Kapwing editor, or a standalone chat
- What happens before you type
- You upload your footage
Tool: Descript Underlord
- Where the chat sits
- Inside Descript's desktop editor
- What happens before you type
- You bring in your footage or script
Tool: Tella Agent
- Where the chat sits
- The editor's right sidebar
- What happens before you type
- You record your screen and camera in Tella
Tool: Captions
- Where the chat sits
- The Captions app or web editor
- What happens before you type
- You add footage and can start from an AI Edit style
Tool: ChatCut
- Where the chat sits
- A full editor, or a plugin in ChatGPT or Claude Code
- What happens before you type
- You upload your footage
Tool: OpusClip AI Producer
- Where the chat sits
- Inside Claude or ChatGPT
- What happens before you type
- You add your clip and, if you like, a reference video
Tool: Cutroom Magic Editor
- Where the chat sits
- Beside the finished video, with no timeline
- What happens before you type
- Jacob has already made the whole first edit
What you can't ask for in the chat
Some requests can't be done, and Jacob tells you so instead of guessing.
- You can't ask Jacob to move a sentence. Your sentences stay in the order you said them.
- You can't ask for new speech or a copy of your voice. To add a line, film it again.
- You can't pick a font. Each style comes with its own fonts.
- You can't get another size or a captions file (SRT). The only export is a vertical 1080 by 1920 MP4.
- You can't ask Jacob to remove background noise or make b-roll with AI. B-roll comes from your own clips or the stock sites Pexels and Pixabay.
- You can't ask Jacob to post the video. You download the MP4 and post it to TikTok, Instagram or YouTube yourself.
- You can't give commands out loud. You talk to the camera once, then type to Jacob.
Questions people ask
- Can I edit a video by chatting with AI?
- Yes. In a chat editor you type what you want changed and the AI makes the change. In Cutroom's Magic Editor, Jacob makes the whole first edit, then each message makes a new version.
- Can I edit a video by talking to the AI out loud?
- Not in Cutroom. You talk to the camera once, then type your changes to Jacob in the chat.
- What should I type to an AI video editor?
- One clear change per message works best, for example "Cut the first sentence" or "Turn the music down a bit". If you're not sure, ask "What would make this video better?", which is free.
- How much does a chat change cost?
- In Cutroom, 40 credits when the message changes the video. Questions are free up to 20 a day, and if a change message ends up changing nothing, the credits come back.
- Can I undo a change I asked for?
- Yes. Every change is a new version, so typing "undo" or "go back one" restores the version before, for free.
- Does the chat work in other languages?
- Yes. Jacob replies in the language you write in, and Cutroom keeps your captions in the language you speak in the video.
Film one clip, let Jacob make the first edit, then type what to change. Your first video is free.